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on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 11:49 pm by Karen and is filed under Commercial Development, PostK Development.
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March 21st, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I can’t believe no one has an opinion on this. It makes me wonder if the folks that read this forum live far enough from this area that they don’t care. I live near Willow and Plum and I’d LOVE to have a nice shoppoing center back in the area. I’ve lived here my whole life and truly miss thse days of having a mall “Uptown”, a few years before Lakeside. I am sure that the opening of Lakeside coinsides with the downfall of The Carrollton Shopping Center, just like what happened to the rest of the city during the flight to the ‘burbs. Anyway, since the Feil organization owns both sites why not tell them your thoughts? I realize we’ll never have another Gus Mayer, or Kreeger’s but I’d kill for a Target, Petsmart, ANYTHING!!!(almost…)
March 22nd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Let’s think about a few things:
- the area, targeted as one of the 17 recovery zones, was not much to write home about PreK.
- the developer asking for public Bond money is the same developer that purchased the property in the 80s.
- anyone who has been around since the 80s knows that the downfall of this shopping mall accelerated in the 80s.
- Going h’mmm????? yet?
- Take a look at the plans on the post immediately before this one and notice that what is being proposed is essentially what was there PreK. Most of the buildings are in the exact same position they were PreK. This folks is a cheap out, less work is neccessary to connect to utilities.
- Oh sure the plans show some nice landscaping down the center of the parking lot. But folks it is still the same thing we had before the storm and that was working so well - not.
- Anyone remember all the planning we were asked to sit thru? Here is what the UNOP plan captured from all the things we said about this location:
“The Carrollton Avenue Shopping Center should be redeveloped into a mixed-use lifestyle shopping center, serving through-traffic to residential neighborhoods, but more importantly the University community, with dining, entertainment, and retail opportunities. With these existing gateway functions and academic adjacencies, a housing component could be included at the rear of the site.”
- Do you think the developer even knows what was in the plans? Do you think the developer cares?
- Here’s what we should know about New Orleans and shopping. New Orleans isn’t like other cities (surprise!). What mall anywhere in this city has EVER been successful longer term? Not the Plaza, not UpTown Square, not even the New Orleans Center (which I used!), not the Carrollton Shopping Center? Canal Place & the Riverwalk are supported by tourists more than locals. New Orleanians support LOCAL businesses. Look at Magazine, look at Oak, look at Maple. New Orleans is so far behind on this particular issue we are ahead-again. Do we really want big box stores? Can the New Orleans population really support more big boxes? Do you really think there is a chance in hell that people from Jefferson Parish or the Northshore or tourists are going to come to the Carrollton Shopping Center to shop? No folks it will be New Orleanians if it is any one and this is why the developer should CARE what we think and why our City Council representatives and Dr. Blakley’s folks should listen to us as well. This place ain’t like other places in the nation. And if you read or listen to the news Retail is tanking EVERYWHERE.
- We want something developed here that can stand the test of time….. Not “Cranes in the sky tomorrow, cookie-cutter malls next week, urban decay next year”
- Katrina was the best thing that ever happened to the owners of the Carrollton Shopping Center. I’m sure they had insurance. Now it is time for them to dig into the public coffers and pull out the money to try and start again. What specifically are the developers risking? Do you think the GOZONE money is going to sit and wait? No the developer needs to grab it now. You know who wins: the architect, the builders, the developer and anyone who gets paid to build this monstrosity. These folks have nothing to loose.
- The city doesn’t really care about what we think… the only thing the city is seeing is the promise of sales tax revenue. And it is highly possible that the proposed sales tax is smoke and mirrors.
And I haven’t even started on the proposed traffic flow changes……
March 28th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Grapevine talk is the problem with this center lacking creativity and/or imagination resides with the owners. There seems to be some division between the “developers” and whoever “owns” the land, if you want to do research.
I do think retail in this section would do well, if traffic were kept flowing. But the types of shops I’ve read being offered won’t. We need a French Market west type of establishment: a green grocer, a bakery, small artisan shops. But I’m told many small shops are more difficult to manage, which is a crock. Any local management firm or firm with a local entrance can rightly manage before coffee a one or two block stimulus area, which will draw further interest from investors.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I don’t think the idea is that we’d want to attract business from the ‘burbs, I’d just like to not have to GO to the ‘burbs for certain items. And the shopping center really did start to unravel in the 70’s, not the 80’s.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I don’t believe we need to lose Neutral Ground so that people can get to Best Buy..They plan on expanding Carrollton Ave and not address the flooding under I10
This is substandard development and New Orleans goes for it everytime.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I believe this blog is a waste of time, the discussion needs to go to the source. Question #1 who owns the land? #2 crime is ridiculous in that area, has safety issues been discussed? #3 The flooding…need I say more?
As I type these questions, I think who will respond to me? Just another like me, again a waste of time.
Find the Source.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
We have fund the source as you can see in the Times Picayune article.
As to your “waste of time” comment. I would disagree.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
At this stage of the game, we can’t afford to say anything is a waste of time…even if the end result is not acceptable. We are all struggling and primarily dissatisfied, but to not plow forward and continue to question and expose inappropriate decision making on the part of developers, city leaders, and law makers would be the largest moral pounding we could take…as individuals and as communities. Please continue to read the blog, make comments and hopefully reap some benefits. And if you are so inclined, come to a NWCCA monthly meeting and meet some wonderfully engaged folks who are from all walks of life and cling to a common thread of decency and ethics…we spend a lot of time “finding the source”.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Who owns the land? Why the developer of course. But I own the land my house is on. Does that mean that I can build what I want on it, how I want. No. We live in a city that has zoning laws and building codes. We have those for a reason - so that what we build is “in harmony” with the neighborhood and the construction that is adjacent to it.
The developer is asking for public money to finance a “for profit” complex in our neighborhood that we (he hopes) will want to patronize. It only makes good business sense for him to ask for and respond to community input. There is a reason that the Carrollton Shopping Center that was there before the storm was a disaster financially (most of it was empty). That reason had nothing to do with location, or the amount of traffic that did or did not pass by the development, or with the amount of crime that is or is not in the neighborhood. It had everything to do with the design of the complex, the third rate retailers that were there, and the odd entrance/egress configuration that the site had.
The flood after Katrina is a moot point. 80 % of the city flooded. Parts of Metairie flooded. The area around Lakeside Mall flooded too, and the same developer has no problem building a huge new Macy’s at that location.
The neighborhood has valuable insight into what could make this retail node work, and the developer should listen to them rather than try to shut them out.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Sonya…
We have found the source, we know who the developer is, we know they are asking for IDB funding, we know they are doing a large development in Jefferson Parish and in this development doing some of the same things we have and will continuie to ask for, we have been directly engaged in the IDB process and are planning meetings with the developer.
Specifically because public funding will be used in this development. IDB is obligated to listen to the public.
As for crime. You can run but you can not hide. Crime in this area is about average for the city. How do we know this you ask? Because we have found the source there as well. We work very closely with the 2nd District Police, the neighborhoods in the area have neighborhood watches and regularly attend the 2nd District NONPACC meetings and get regular Email Blasts directly from the Commander of the 2nd District so that we are aware of what is going on in our 2nd District neighborhoods and can actively involved in fighting crime.
As for flooding. 80% of the city flooded. If you have a suggestion, other than move to another area of the state or country, I’d be interested in hearing it. We work aggressively finding the source there too. Have you heard about Pump to the River?
As for the waste of time comment: You have the ultimate opt out option. You are free not to read the blog and not to respond.
All that said: We know we are all in this together and we have to “be the calvary we want to see coming over the hill”. No one is going to “do it for us”. We have to do it for ourselves. The blog helps us in these efforts.